Steering mechanism for motor-operated vehicles



C. H. YOUNG.

STEERING MECHANISM Foa MoToR'oPERATED vEHlcLEs.

l APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3, |919.

1,352,572,r PatentedSept. 14, 1920'.

j Mrd/71X- ya www@ UNITEDV S"1..T-E s PaTENT oFFicE.

CLIFFORD H. YOUNG, OF LOUIS, IVIISSCVRJ,` ASSIGNOR TO AUTO & MOTOR TRUCKAXLE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

STEERING MEeiiaNisM ron ivioroE-OPERATED VEHICLES.

specification of Letter-s Pai-n. Lier-acume sept. i4, ieee.

Application filed February 3, 1919. Serial No. 274,755.

To all whom t may concern:

lle it kno wn that l, CLirFoi-:n H. YOUNG, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain neu anduseful improvement in Qt" nisins :tor Bieter-Operated Tv'eliicles, orwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which its appeitains to maireand use the same. v

This invention relates to steering mecha nisms Jier automobiles andmotor trucks.

@ne type ot steering-'mechanism that novv used extensively oninotonoperuted vehicles is so constructed that relatively sl'ghtmovement the steering wheel is sut-- iicieiit to turn the iront Wheelsoi the yvehicle the required distance to guide the vehicle properly.rlhis is a very `desirable feature in that it enables the front wheelsto he turned quickly and Without the necessity of imparting one or morecomplete revolutions to the steering Wheel when the iront Wheels arebeing turned the maximum distance. This type of steering mechanism,lio'ef'ever, has a very objectionable characteristic, namely, itnecessitates the operator keeping one or both of his hands on thesteering Wheel at all times, owing to the fact that a rut, stone or anyslight obstruction in the road causes the Vl'ront ivheeis oi" thevehicle to turn, and thus change the path of travel et the vehicle.Another type of steering mechanism that is also used extensively onVmotor-operated vehicles is so constructed that it normally holds theiront Wheels in such a position that a rut or other slight obstructionin the road Will not cause the iront Wheels to turn trom the path inWhichthey are traveling, but

this later type has the disadvantage of re-v quiring a relatively greatmovement oithe steering Wheel in order to effect a slight change in theposition of the front wheels, it being necessary to impart severalcoinplete turns to the steering WheelA in order to move the front wheelstheir maximu distance.

The object of my invention is to provide a steering mechanism 4formotor-operated vehicles that has the goed features but none of theobjectionable features of both of the types of steering mechanismspreviously referred to. To this end I have devised a steering mechanismin Which the front wheels of the vehicle are normally locked oteei'ingMechaor held against accidental movement tothe rigf tor lett, but arecapable oi being turned sunciently to guide the vehicle 'oy a slightmovement oli' the steering Wheel, it heing `designates the steeringshaft of a motoi operated vehicle, B a steering Wheel, herein shown end`of said steering shaft and C the usual rock arm vvhich controls theposition of the iront Wheels ot the vehicle, said rock arm beingconnected by a rod, not shown, to the front' Wheels ci the vehicle so'as to cause said iront Wheels'to turn tothe right when the C rocks inone direction and to turn to the left when said arm rocks inthe oppositedirection.

My broad idea consists in operating'the rock arm C by means of a Wormand worm gear constructed in such a manner that said rock arm will benormally locked or'held against accidental movement, and transmit- Vtingmovement from the steering Wheel B to said operating means hy a gear andpinion arranged 1n such a manner that the rocl: arm C can be moved itsmaximum distance by 'turning the steering Wheel less than a derstoodthat my invention is limited to a steering mechanism of the particularconstruction hereinl shown, as various other lmeans or a substantiallysimilar means ai ranged in a different manner can he einployed fortransmitting movement from the steering Wheel to said Worm Withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, so'long as said means is soconstructed that a relarigidly connected to the upper.

tively slight movement oi' the steering` Wheel, for e;\:aniple,less thana roniplete revolution, will he sullieient to turn the front 'wheels otthe vehicle their maximum distance. ln the ineehanism herein shown themeans tor ng movement Yfrom the steering` to the roch arm Consists of aygear on the steering shaift, a pinion 2 that meshes with said gear, asub-shaft 3 to which the pinion 2 is rigidly Connected, a Worm Llrigidly mounted on 'the shaft 3, and a lWorm gear i) rigidly mounted enthe cross shaft e to vhieh 'the roel arm "lff "s rigidly eonneeted. Dueto the fact tira he steering shaft and shaft E are een l isi-.afge gearl on the steering shaft )inion on le sub-shaft 3, a slight e steeringwheel will maximum distance. t Wheels out the vehiele. can be turnedquie ly by simply turning ring); `wheel a slight distance in thedirection. V{""urtheixirore, the iront thee of the Vehicle aresentir-ely looked at 's and held against accidental movei to the 'tactthat a worm 4l and e r 5 are used to transmit movement e shaft to the -fshaft 6 on which roel,Y arm is mounted.

Y .j so 'far s my broad idea is concerned, honv the. pans previouslyreferred to are miv-interi, hat l. 'n'eer to incl/ose said gears, pinionand Worm in a housing` D which is provided With bearings T ier thetoiether by the.

steering shaft, bearings 8 for the sub-shaft 3 and bearings 9 for theCross shaft 6. Said housing' is preferably split vertically on adiagonal line, as shown in Fig. 3 and the tWo parts or hait-es of sameare connected together by bolts or other 'suitable fastening deyiees l0,one part ot said housingy being preferably integrally connected to aplate ll which is adapted to be bolted or eonnected in any otherpreferred manner to one ot the side sills of the chassis of the vehicle,as shown in Fig. l..

Having thus described my invention, what elaiin and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

A, steering mechanism for motor-operated Vehicles, comprising aninrlined steering; shaft, a split housing on the Yframe of the Vehicleequipped with a bearing for said sten ng-- shaft, a horimntally-disposedshaft in said housing,` arranged at right angles to said steering shaftand provided at its outer end with a rock arm that Controls the positionof the front Wheels of the vehicle, a Worin gear on said horizontalshalt, a sub shaft j onrnaled in said housing and arranged parallel tosaid steering` shaft, a Worm on said subshaft that meshes with the Wormgear on said horizontal shaft, a straight faced gear on said steeringshaft and a pinion on said subshaiit that meshes with said straightJfaced gear.

CLIFFORD H. YOUNG.

